The District of Muskoka is responsible for the care and maintenance of 37 active and closed waste sites across the municipality. On January 1, 1996, all waste management powers were transferred to the District as several Area Municipalities had either faced or were about to face a waste disposal crisis. On June 16, 2014, the District assumed ownership and responsibility of all municipally-owned closed waste disposal sites within the District.
The District is committed to preventing and addressing impacts from historic waste sites. Environmental monitoring and remediation projects represent an important on-going commitment by the District to address impacts from historic landfilling. Responsibility for any closed or inactive landfill sites can include a wide variety of activities from monitoring and reporting, excavation and waste removal, maintenance of surface cover placed on the site, tree planting and hydroseeding, ensuring site security, and completing routine inspections to identify any areas of improvement.
To date, the District has invested $4.2 million on environmental monitoring/reporting, remediation and maintenance projects of these historical sites. The care of these sites is part of the District’s commitment
| Port Carling remediation activities - 2021, 2022, 2024 |
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The remediation at the Port Carling closed landfill, located in the Township of Muskoka Lakes, occurred throughout 2021, 2022, and 2024 and involved closing the co-located Hazelwood Trail in order to safely complete the work. The remediation involved the removal of exposed waste, the application of compost as a soft cap, and grass seeding in the affected areas. Additionally, efforts were made to cover exposed broken glass along the Hazelwood Trail to mitigate health and safety risks. As a result of the remediation, over 6 tonnes of waste were removed from the site, including scrap metal, tires, and household waste.
Photo Gallery: Port Carling Remediation will appear here on the public site.
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| Minett remediation activities - 2024 |
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Through District annual inspections, it was identified that remedial work was required at the Minett closed landfill site. Staff scheduled the clean-up for 2024. Actions were taken throughout September 2024 to remove exposed waste and apply cover as well as grass seed to the site. This resulted in 90 kilograms of waste material and approximately 90 kilograms of metal being removed from the site with 239 tonnes of compost being applied as cover. The site was then seeded with traditional lawn mix. Photo Gallery: Minett Remediation will appear here on the public site.
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| Foot's Bay, Walkers Point, and Windermere - 2023 |
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Exposed waste was removed and cover was maintained at the Foot's Bay, Walkers Point, and Windermere closed landfills, located in the Township of Muskoka Lakes, throughout the summer of 2023. This resulted in numerous tonnes of waste being removed from the site. Once complete, grass seed was applied to the areas where waste was present. |
| Brackenrig, Watt, and Ullswater remediation activities – 2022 |
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Exposed waste was removed and cover was maintained at the Watt, Brackenrig, and Ullswater closed landfills, located in the Township of Muskoka Lakes, throughout the summer of 2022. This resulted in numerous tonnes of waste being removed from the site. Once complete, grass seed was applied to the areas where waste was present. Photo Gallery: Brackenrig Watt and Ullswater will appear here on the public site.
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| Finlayson and Draper remediation activities – 2019, 2021 |
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District staff completed a manual clean-up of the Finlayson and the Draper closed landfills, located in Lake of Bays and Bracebridge, respectively, resulting in several truckloads of exposed waste being removed from the sites. Photo Gallery: Finlayson and Draper Clean-up will appear here on the public site.
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| Sparrow Lake restoration activities – 2019, 2020 |
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At the Sparrow Lake closed landfill in Gravenhurst, work was completed in two areas, the eastern and northern sections of the former landfill. Work on the eastern portion included the burial of exposed waste, placement of clean soil materials as final cap, and the application of topsoil and grass seed to the area. In the northern portion, some asphalt waste was removed however, upon determining the volume was much greater than originally expected, the remaining asphalt was buried and appropriate materials were used as a soft cap. Photo Gallery: Sparrow Lake will appear here on the public site.
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| Housey’s Rapids restoration activities – 2019 |
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At the Housey’s Rapids closed landfill in Gravenhurst, grading, final capping, and hydroseeding activities were completed onsite. Additionally, a gravel parking lot was laid for users of the nearby trail and fencing and gating were installed around the parking lot to restrict access to the former waste management site. Photo Gallery: Housey's Rapids will appear here on the public site.
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For more information on the environmental monitoring and remediation projects completed by the District, please see report: PW-5-2024-3 Environmental Monitoring and Remediation Projects – 2024 Update
If you have questions, please contact us at compliance@muskoka.on.ca or 705-645-2100.